I was both surprised and delighted that last week’s question received so much feedback from members of the Hagerty Community. But perhaps this is to be expected: The Citizens Band radio survived the cellphone era, becoming more of a multi-generational phenomenon for those who travel across this fine country.
Perhaps CB radio’s continued interest is focused on parts of the country that lack strong cell coverage. No matter how you slice it, the medium has merit, and people created their own handles to identify themselves over its shortwave frequencies. So let’s see what names the Hagerty Community recalls from their time on the radio, good buddy.
Chevrolet
“My friend had a brand new Cosworth Vega and wanted his handle to be Twin Cam Man But given the fidelity of the CB radio, this quickly became Tin Can Man which in retrospect, also seems perfectly appropriate.” —John
“I drove sleeper-team with a guy named Gene for a bit. Gene had had his right forearm ‘removed’ in a sawmilling accident and wore a metal hook contraption. Gene was one of the neatest characters I ever met, and you shoulda seen him run through the gears in a twin stick KW by holding the wheel with his hook and reaching through with his left hand—amazing!
The only thing he wasn’t terribly good at was stacking freight that was coming down a track fast. Lotta holes punched in cardboard boxes when Gene got to flinging things around. He was a great storyteller and jokester. I really enjoyed my time teamed with him.
His CB handle? Depending on his mood, he went by either Captain Hook or The Happy Hooker on the radio.” —DUB6
Stefan Lombard
“I was a rookie OTR driver in about 1970. Previously, I’d only done local pick-up and delivery (like in a bulk milk tanker visiting local dairies and delivering product to valley grocery stores). Until I got on as a driver hauling flatbed loads of lumber from Idaho mills to California, I’d never had or used a CB.
The guy who was showing me the ropes (before I was let loose to ‘solo’) installed his on the dash of the old Freightliner COE and we set out. Someone hailed us and he wanted me to answer. I had no idea what to do, so he grabbed the mic. He asked me my handle (to which he only got a blank stare in response). In those days I was smoking White Owl cigars, and a box of them was on the dash. He gave the hailer his handle and said he was accompanied by One White Owl – and thus my very first CB handle was created.” —DUB6
“Im biased; I liked mine the best – the BushWacker.” —Jonathan
Paul Stenquist
“I had CBs in all of my cars from 1983-2021: Nothing better than knowing where Smokey Bear was waiting for a triple digit traveler. I also avoided some serious interstate back ups! My handle was the Hare Scrambler, sadly with truckers yacking on their cell phone headsets so much I found it almost impossible to get Smokey reports so I finally gave up on my last couple of cars.” —Vinny
“My first wife’s stepfather was a trucker, so, when we went on vacation together, he would toss a CB into my van with a stick-on antenna. My handle was Sidewinder.”—George
“We borrowed my dad’s ’72 Pinto for a road trip once. I tucked my CB inside and cobbled an antenna on it. Seemed reasonable to me to use Mini-Mustang as my handle on that trip.” —DUB6
“A classmate of mine lost his legs in Vietnam. He had a car with hand controls and a CB. Literally standing in a wheelchair all the time, his CB handle was Chief Ironsides.” —Barry
Mecum
“In 1972 my first company car was an AMC Matador coupe. As I was doing a 750-mile round trip, Toronto to Montreal to see a girlfriend (future wife then and still) every three weeks a CB radio was a necessity. Communicating with truckers and other CB users on Highway 401 saved me many tickets I’m sure.
I got many waves when meeting someone I had been talking to traveling in the opposite direction when they recognized the car and the connection with my handle. My handle was The Bullfighter of course!” —Cliff
“My handle was Brown Eyes. I will never forget the time we were going from Texas to Pennsylvania and my friend was asleep. I didn’t want to wake him up. Every time we traveled thru Tennessee, I would get lost, so since he was asleep, I got on the CB and asked for help and two friendly truckers helped me out. They put me in the rocking chair and helped me to get thru Nashville, TN. I was driving a big pickup and a Harley on the back and pulling an Airstream. The CBs were a great help.” —Bernice
Bring a Trailer/Wob
“My handle was NOMAD, as I had a 1955 Nomad at the time.” —David
“Back when CBs were usable, before the overpowered armchair wannabees started blowing us off the air, my handle was Chain Drive, as I and my two sons were also superbikers. My handle got some comments from truckers when they saw me pass ‘rather rapidly’ on the western Interstates in a modified Pantera!” —bosswrench
“One I used for years while working as a company man for an oil drilling company in TX and OK was Magic Man. I was given it due to the fact that on some days I would drive from Dallas to Abline to Cisco to Austin then back to Dallas and someone once observed on my multiple location presence as ‘that has to be a magic man.’” —oldtexasdog
“When I used to drive a pick up and tow my husband’s race car to the track, the truckers would always ask me, ‘How fast would it go in the 1/4 mile?’ I always gave them a high number, as it was a Can-Am car and I had no idea how fast it would go there to begin with. They were always fascinated that two girls were driving the truck and towing a race car to begin with. My CB name was ‘Lavender Lady’. —Judy
Howard Koby
“My handle was Thirsty and some times I would be asked,’Is that you or your machine?’ I would answer ‘Both of us’!” —Kelly
“Another trucker I worked with had a real slow, western drawl, and even walked with a little bit of a stiff legged limp. His CB handle was Festus. I didn’t know him very well, but one day I asked him, ‘Say, I only know to call you by Festus – what’s your real name?’ He looked at me kinda funny and said, ‘Festus. My real name IS Festus’.” —DUB6
“In the 70s & early 80s I was driving for a west coast oil company & our tanks had what were known as ‘pogo sticks’ in the tanks that would float up to a certain level when your load you were putting on got to the legal weight limit. I took the CB handle of Pogo Stick. Almost always had to explain that one!” —Greg
“I hauled a yellow Corvette fuel funny car on the back of a ramp truck in the mid ’70s. My handle was banana boat. ‘You got that ol’ banana boat slippin’ out of Chi-Town on I-80 with a big hammer down’.” —Paul Stenquist
When I did SCCA autocross in an E-Prepared Scirocco, I ran Hoosier racing slicks and I was “Hoosier Daddy”. My Dad, John, drove a semi that was in rather poor condition and his handle was “Portable John”. :))))
In the late ’70s, it was all the rage to mess with crystal-switching. I never understood the ins and outs (me and electronics don’t play well together), but some guys made a few bucks on the side by promising to improve all kinds of performance by working some magic with crystals and piano wire. I paid up to buy an altered radio from a guy I worked with – and it was indeed a better performing radio than my old one (but perhaps it was just better to begin with) – so I took to using the handle “The Crystal Kid”. Somehow that came across to some as “The Crisco Kid”, and even “The Cisco Kid”. Maybe they all needed crystal-altering on their radios too so they could hear me better?
Back in the CB heyday, my college roommate drove a Pontiac Grand Am. His handle was “The Grand American”. As a Studebaker devotee, if I had a CB my handle would be “Hoosier Hero”.
Drove a yellow Toyota Corolla, which in the era where land yachts were still commonplace, was considered a “compact”, or even a sub-compact. So I was “Yellow Sub”.
Damn, sorry I missed this one! My Late Father ( RIP POP 🙏 ) was a trucker CB handle “Lonesome George” I followed in Dad’s footsteps, CB handle “Bullet” not that I was that fast, but I always had a bunch.
Honorable mention for my well endowed Mother, CB handle “Twin peaks” LOL! Love ya Mom!!
Pony Express was an apt handle for a contract bulk mail carrier out of Denver who serviced rural post offices including Elbert County whom I met daily on my way home.
The mechanic at work also ran a farm, his handle was Hay Seed and since I worked on a lot of old cars for fellow employees but i didn’t have a garage so my handle was Shade Tree.
What no references to the song Convoy? Rubber Duck! Pig Pen! Sodbuster! Handles on forums or social media are not much different.
Totally agree, Gary!
And don’t forget “CB Savage” song by Rod Hart and also “White Night”, another song by Cledus Maggard. Both can be found with a simple search.
When I did SCCA autocross in an E-Prepared Scirocco, I ran Hoosier racing slicks and I was “Hoosier Daddy”. My Dad, John, drove a semi that was in rather poor condition and his handle was “Portable John”. :))))
Back in the mid-late 70’s, I went by “Mean Machine”. Ran around with “Country Sunshine”, “Drag Tractor”, and my Dad was “Old Yeller”
In the late ’70s, it was all the rage to mess with crystal-switching. I never understood the ins and outs (me and electronics don’t play well together), but some guys made a few bucks on the side by promising to improve all kinds of performance by working some magic with crystals and piano wire. I paid up to buy an altered radio from a guy I worked with – and it was indeed a better performing radio than my old one (but perhaps it was just better to begin with) – so I took to using the handle “The Crystal Kid”. Somehow that came across to some as “The Crisco Kid”, and even “The Cisco Kid”. Maybe they all needed crystal-altering on their radios too so they could hear me better?
Back in the CB heyday, my college roommate drove a Pontiac Grand Am. His handle was “The Grand American”. As a Studebaker devotee, if I had a CB my handle would be “Hoosier Hero”.
Man, that just made me think of a good one: “Hoosier Daddy”!
That was me in my Scirocco or rather in the truck that was hauling my race car. Gotta lotta “likes”… )::::
Drove a yellow Toyota Corolla, which in the era where land yachts were still commonplace, was considered a “compact”, or even a sub-compact. So I was “Yellow Sub”.
👍👍
Damn, sorry I missed this one! My Late Father ( RIP POP 🙏 ) was a trucker CB handle “Lonesome George” I followed in Dad’s footsteps, CB handle “Bullet” not that I was that fast, but I always had a bunch.
Honorable mention for my well endowed Mother, CB handle “Twin peaks” LOL! Love ya Mom!!
Good ones! Was your dad a fan of George Gobel? That would date him to my era of trucking :>)
I definitely remember George Gobel. Guess that dates both of us…
Pony Express was an apt handle for a contract bulk mail carrier out of Denver who serviced rural post offices including Elbert County whom I met daily on my way home.
Really like that one…
The mechanic at work also ran a farm, his handle was Hay Seed and since I worked on a lot of old cars for fellow employees but i didn’t have a garage so my handle was Shade Tree.